Hearts of Steel REMADE
by Stoutheron
Summary: REDONE- Steele begins to have feelings for the only female Husky on the same mushing team, and the both of them look back on the trip that they both discovered their feelings for each other. What happens after the Nenana and Nome events?


Heart of Steele (Steele X OC)

REDONE- Steele begins to have feelings for the only female Husky on the same mushing team, and the both of them look back on the trip that they both discovered their feelings for each other. What happens after the Nenana and Nome events?

I decided to redo this one-shot because I found that I wanted to add more to it, and I wanted to add more than I did last time. I have made changes in this, and added more detail to this. And I also noticed that I made Steele out of character, so that is another reason I have decided to change this up a little. SO anyone that favored this before, I hope you find this version to be better! : ) ALSO, do not think that I don't like Balto (the dog) because I do like Balto. Mutty would rather be an acquaintance.

A young girl around the age of five with brown, shoulder length hair sat on the living room by a black-and-white, beautiful Alaskan Husky. The little girl was dressed for sleep in a pair of pink, flannel pajamas. The girl was playing with a few dolls while the Husky was lying down with her head on her paws looking at the flames that lighted in the fire place. The girl giggled before standing up and sat directly beside the Husky and snuggling her face in the dog's soft, black-and-white fur. The girl sat up and patted the Husky's head a few times. The action of the little girl caused the husky to lift her head up and the little girl hugged the dog around the neck. Once the little girl let go of the dog's neck, the musher's wife came over and picked up the five year old. The wife ran her hand over the Husky's back before the husband came into the living room.

"It's time for you to go to bed, Danny." The wife said and the husband kneeled down to pet the dog stroking her fur. The Husky slowly stood up on all fours, and the husband gently helped the dog just in case.

"It's time for you to sleep too, Mutty. I will let you out." The husband spoke noticing his Husky and Malamute's actions toward each other ever since the trip of Nenana.

Now pups were on the way for the two dogs that was the reason that Mutty remained inside in the day. The dogs of Nome avoided Steele for some reason, though it didn't cross the mind of the musher but Mutty was the only one that didn't avoid him.

The musher and his wife put Danny to bed and tucked her in before the young girl fell asleep. While they did that Mutty waited by the back door which would lead to the doghouse that was there for both her and Steele. Before the musher and his wife, whom was carrying Danny, completely got up the steps, Mutty watched them with her own happy thoughts of her life and how if the musher hadn't bought her from her previous musher's family she wouldn't be there with pup on the way. Once they completely got up the steps, Mutty once again looked at the back door. The musher walked downstairs and let Mutty out holding the door as the dog walked outside.

The Husky walked through the door and it was closed behind her. She sighed and shook at the cold. She then looked at the doghouse of hers and Steele's since they were the dogs of the same musher. As she walked to the doghouse, she remembered his actions towards her after they got lost, and his paw slipped on the ice which made them all fall down.

__

~Flashback~  
Steele's paw slipped on the ice after he jumped down, "Ahhh!"

The whole team yelped and Mutty slammed into Steele's back after Star ran into her back. The wooden mush sled and the whole team slid down to the bottom, and they hit the snowy ground. Mutty fell out of her reins and flipped onto her front before Steele fell on her back, making her lose her breath. The other dogs fell and the musher hit the ground unconscious.

Steele remained lying on Mutty, like Jenna did with Balto -though they both were unaware that the other Husky and wolf dog did-, after he noticed how shaky the younger husky was. He hoped to calm her down, and since this was Mutty's first mush in weather like that; that didn't help with the situation. Mutty began to shiver, and she put her head down on her paws.

__

Kaltag and Nikki emerged up from the snow.  
"I think I hit my head on something."  
"Yeah! My head!" Kaltag exclaimed looking at Nikki.

A dog from the back looked at the musher, "He doesn't look to good, Steele."

Star walked over to the dog and the musher before looking at Steele, "What are we going to do now, Steele?"

Steele didn't reply to his question, all he did was shiver on Mutty.

"Steele?" Mutty managed to ask through fear.

"What are we going to do?" Mutty asked scared, starting to shake more from the thoughts of something really happening out there that wasn't supposed to happen.

Steele nuzzled the side of his face on hers feeling some sympathy for the young husky. He could feel his feelings for the white-and-red furred Husky change as the days went by and were transferring to the only female Husky on his musher's team, and he found himself not thinking of the white-and-red furred. She seemed surprised by his action of nuzzling the side of her head and showing her affection. She knew that his feelings were for Jenna, but yet she couldn't stop her own feelings for the malamute. Star walked over and laid down in front of her trying to calm her down by telling her that everything was going to be alright. Mutty nodded slowly shivering making Steele shiver also. Minutes passed and Star left to sit by their musher.

"Mutty?" Steele asked so he could comfort her further. He felt his heart beating faster when Mutty opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"Yeah. Just shaken up," Mutty spoke softly before directing her vision towards the musher worried for her new owner. Then she thought of something that her father had told her of that would keep a musher alive.

"Steele, Let me up." She demanded slowly to him.

Steele nodded and got up making the snow on him fall down his back to the ground before sitting down watching Mutty. Mutty stood to her feet before shaking the snow off of her black and white fur, and then walked toward the musher. The dogs' eyes followed her form wondering what she was going to do. She surprised them when she circled around to the musher's other side and laying over his side making sure that her chin was lying over the musher's heart while her paws were over the musher' opposite side of his heart. Mutty closed her eyes to hide her blue eyes from the cold.

__

It seemed like hours until Star yelled a name that Mutty never heard before and of someone that she never knew even.

"Balto!"  
"Is that?"  
"Balto, how did you find us!"

'Balto' stopped at the bottom of the ice hill with a heroic smile, yet Mutty couldn't help but roll her eyes and stand up before shaking off the snow before laying back down.

"_Is anyone hurt?" Balto exclaimed in asking._

_"Everyone is fine," Steele replied in a growl and Mutty looked over at him._

_She noticed that Steele didn't like Balto, probably in her own opinion, because of Jenna. Mutty didn't see what the guys liked in her. Sure, Jenna had a beautiful fur, a nice personality, and what else… Mutty didn't have a clue. Though she knew that more dogs were more interested in Mutty because of her personality and strength… more preferably sled dogs were more interested in Mutty. For one thing, she knew Star and Kaltag had some interest in her. Kaltag didn't show it, but Mutty would notice him looking at her proud of her abilities when they raced. Star showed it often mostly when he was concerned for her._

_Star walked toward the musher, "Yeah but our musher hit his head. And he didn't get up." Star lightly nudged the musher's head._

_"And he's not moving." Kaltag added._  
_"He's been down for a while now. I hope he is alright." Mutty said worried for her musher._

_"He'll be fine," Star told her smiling at her bringing up her hope and she smiled back before looking back at Steele._

_"He'll be fine too," Star added on and Mutty looked at Star to see his eyes saddened._

_"Star, I.." Mutty let out wanting to apologize._

_"It's okay. But I will be here for you." Star told her lightly before nudging her head softly._

_"Thank you, Star. Why don't you go with the other guys? I will take care of our musher." Mutty told him looking over at him still keeping her chin over the musher's heart._

_Star nodded before leaving over to the other dogs. Soon the dog they called Balto came over._

_"Is he alright?" Balto asked. Mutty never got to answer because Steele jumped between her and Balto growling._

_Mutty heard the whispers that were between the other mushing dogs._

_"Whoa!"_  
_"Isn't he protective!"_

_Later after his fight with Balto, Steele fell over the cliff with the red bandana in his mouth._

_"Steele!" Mutty yelled as Steele went over the cliff._

_Once Steele hit the ground, she jumped down onto the ledges below to help Steele up from the ground. Once reaching Steele, she put her head underneath his chin to lift his head up and helped him up. Mutty would've moved after that, but once Steele was up on his feet he sat down and putting his large paw on her own. She looked at him before she walked closer to him tucking her head under his. The wind moved their fur around. Mutty closed her eyes before moving herself closer now have her head pressed against Steele's neck, and he laid his head on hers._

_Steele licked her cheek.  
_  
_"I know since you wouldn't let Balto approach me about our musher. Though now he is on the way to Nome. What are we going to do?" Mutty spoke and asked not moving her head. Instead she nuzzled the top of her head under his chin._

_"We go back to Nome after we make sure that Balto doesn't get there before us." Steele spoke before the both of them scratched the trees to confuse Balto since Steele was aware that Balto would make the trail by scratching the trees with his claws._

__

_Later, Mutty and Steele left back to Nome and as they _were sure that Balto did not arrive before them.

"Go back to the dog house; I will meet you there."  
"What are you going to do?" Mutty asked from beside Steele.  
"I am going to tell Jenna about Balto." Steele replied.  
"A lie or the truth," Mutty asked.

"What do you think? When I am done I will meet you at the dog house." Steele said before nudging her with his nose toward their dog house.

"Alright then," Mutty spoke passing by Steele while she playfully ran the tip of her tail along Steele's chin before continuing on her way to the dog house.

~End Flashback~

Mutty walked to the dog house and lied down in the whelping bed that the musher had since she was going to have pups soon. Lying down, she smiled remembering Steele's confession. It had taken him a while to be able to say the words, but she knew through his actions of his feelings.

Soon after remembering the past, Steele walked into the doghouse. He saw Mutty lying on the whelping bed and he walked over before nuzzling her cheek. He laid down behind her against her back since she was lying on her side slightly so there was no pressure on her pregnant belly putting his head beside hers, soon the both of them fell asleep.


End file.
